Lethe
by Twin Masks
Summary: Death is complicated, as is rebirth. Getting pregnant at 15 wasn't part of U.A student Kayama Nemuri's plan. But she'd make it work regardless. Kayama Kiyo knew that she was a different from the other kids her age. She didn't care. She had her mom, they had each other and that's all that mattered. Too bad life had other plans {SI-OC/ Reincarnated oc type story}
1. Chapter 1

Thanks for reading.

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There's a lot of debate over just what happens when you die. Some say nothing happens. Others say we see a bright light at the end of a long dark tunnel. Others describe a feeling of warmth and an overwhelming sense of peace and security.

Of course no one's ever been able to actually tell people what really happens when they die 'cause they're, you know, dead and all. So really all that stuff's speculation at best.

However the one thing I don't have to speculate on is where I am right now and that's Death. At least I'm pretty sure it's death?

No one says that Death's a place, but after considering it for so long I think it has to be.

Where I am is Death.

It's dark, but not frighteningly so. In fact if anything it was the opposite, gentle and enveloping. Like a warm hug or the feeling of your favorite blanket. I'm perfectly content here. Warm, safe and secure as I am, I haven't known pain or the feeling of fear.

For a long time I simply exist in this space. A consciousness in an otherwise empty void.

That certainly sounds like Death doesn't it?

It was only when I started to hear voices from around me that I wasn't so sure. I can never really hear what they were saying, but I can glean enough to get a general feeling out of it. Most of the time the voices are distant, they come in a variety of tones and cadences as they filter through the background noise. But there's one voice that's been consistent throughout my time here.

It's soft and melodic, warm like the sun. It speaks directly to me, sometimes it sings to me, but most of all it tells me that it loves me. It seems ridiculous to love something that you've never met, but the voice is so full of care and devotion that it's impossible to find it insincere.

And on that note, it was impossible for me not to love the voice in return.

As time passed I had grown to rely on the voice and it's words of love that filtered into my void. As my only companion in this place I'd relish when it would come speak to me. Because I couldn't make my feelings known through words I made myself know the only way I could; by shifting around in my void that is. All things considered it seemed to work. Sometimes if I move around too much the voice will sing until I fall asleep which is nice

_Are you supposed to fall asleep when you're Dead?_

Unfortunately sometimes the voice isn't always happy though, sometimes it's sad, very sad. So sad that I feel it in my very core and I'd find myself trying to reach out to them, pressing against the outer reaches of my void.

And therein lies another problem. One would think that Death is stagnant. The idea of death is so final that it'd make no sense at all to change while in it. And yet my void seems to be getting smaller everyday. It used to be that my void was endless, but now I can touch its edges without having to move. Quite cramped actually if I'm being honest.

_I've grown but dead things don't grow. _

Then there's the fact that I breathe. I've never felt the actual need for air but lately I realize that I can feel my own chest rising and falling. Though I feel no relief tied to this action, what I'm doing can still be classified as breathing nonetheless.

_Dead things don't breathe _

I've grown but dead things don't grow, I breathe but dead things don't breathe. You put these things together then it stands to reason that I'm not, in fact, Dead...But I'm also not quite alive either? So if I'm not one or the other then I must be somewhere in between

_Right? Yeah that sounds about right_

But just what was that supposed to mean?

It's only when the void begins to constrict around me and I get the distinct feeling that I'm being pushed _out_ of something that I come to the now embarrassingly obvious conclusion.

I'm greeted by a much too bright room, hands that are far too cold and a booming voice that says, "Well done Miss Kayama! You have a beautiful baby girl."

_Oh shit..._

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_**In between Life and Death, there must be Rebirth.**_


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note:**

Is this chapter filler? Kinda. If you're reading this on **AO3** (and you've read the tags) you'll know that I haven't read the manga and that I'll be doing my own spin on Midnight's backstory. That all comes into play here.

Apparently Midnight was in a different year in school then Eraserhead and Mic in canon, but I've been imaging them in school together for ages and you can pry that out of my cold dead hands!

Thank you for reading!

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"Get your face off the glass Hizashi. You're in a hospital, it's unsanitary."

The admonishment only seemed to spur the blonde boy on further though. "But I can't see anything! Besides babies all look the same, how are we supposed to know which one's yours?"

A lanky dark haired teen spoke up next to him, before yanking his friend away by the collar. "Maybe you'd be able to see if you'd remembered to bring your glasses."

The blonde deflated at once while Kayama Nemuri burst into laughter between them.

The future Erasure Hero raised an eyebrow."What's so funny?" He asked gruffly.

Nemuri continued to laugh, drawing a few odd looks from the doctors and nurses that passed by the trio. They stuck out some, with one of them in a hospital gown and the other two instreet clothes. "What _did_ happen to your glasses Hizashi?"

Now blushing, the blonde answered sheepishly as Aizawa looked on stone-faced but still somewhat amused. "They got broken…"

"What's that supposed to mean? Glasses don't just break on their own."

Looking thoroughly embarrassed the usually hyper young man only let out an incomprehensible mumble.

"We can't hear you!" Nemuri sing-songed, before adding. "Wow! That's something I never thought I'd have to say."

"It was an accident—!" He began before the girl cut in excitedly.

"This dumbass!" She interjected, once again laughing. "Was so freaked out on the way over here that he literally ran head-first into the front desk!

Yamada Hizashi was now completely mortified while Shota fixed him with an incredulous gaze. "How in the world did you manage that?"

Though Hizashi chose to remain silent, the blue-eyed girl at his side was more than happy to pick up the slack. "So first off the whole way here this guy's hyperventilating so hard you'd think he's the one giving birth. He keeps telling me to '**STAY CALM**!' And "**BREATHE**!' While I'm just here worried that I'm gonna have to figure out how to drag his ass off a busy street 'cause he's totally gonna faint any minute now."

Having finally found his trademark voice, Hizashi was quick to try and defend himself. "It was a stressful situation! Your water broke out of nowhere! I wasn't prepared!" Before he could continue Shouta slapped a hand over his mouth.

"Stop whining so loud, you'll wake the babies. What happened next?"

Smiling gleefully Nemuri continued. "So we finally get through the front door right? There I am in the throes of active labor, waiting for him to please check me in so I can get to a room."

Hizashi looked more and more like a kicked puppy as the story went on. Aizawa had to admit it was funny.

Nemuri threw her arm around her embarrassed friend's shoulder with a smile. "I ask Hizashi-chan here if he can please handle the paperwork while I sit. He looks at me, blinks, and _**runs**_ full tilt toward reception and then—." She made a motion with her fist. "Wham! Out like a light!"

The put-upon boy picked at the Hello Kitty band-aids criss-crossed on his forehead as he remembered the injury. "It really hurt by the way." He grumbled.

Not a second later he was set upon by his two friends, with Kayama shooting him a furious look while Aizawa bonked him on the head.

He hardly had time to wince before the new mother started in on him. "You think that hurt!? I pushed something the size of a small watermelon out of my _**vagina!**_—you've got no right to talk about hurt!"

This was followed by a deadpan, "you really need to learn to watch that mouth of yours before it gets you into real trouble." From the dark haired boy.

Hospital patrons wore scandalized looks as they listened in on the conversation, the more senior ones mumbling about '_inappropriate language'_ and '_kids these days.'_

Cheeks once again bright red, the self-proclaimed Voice Hero in training sputtered helplessly. Not having the slightest clue what to say— or rather what not to say—he settled for hanging his head with a meek, "never mind."

The girl scrutinized him a bit before deciding he'd had enough.

"Apology accepted!" She declared brightly before adding a kiss to her friend's bruised forehead.

"Your concern for me was actually kinda adorable if I'm honest. And all things considered the hilarity of the whole situation was actually a great distraction from the searing pain in my—"

"So which one's yours?" Questioned Aizawa.

"I told you they all look the same!"

Nemuri practically beamed with pride as she went to point at one crib in particular in the first row. "She's right there. The cutest baby in the place of course."

Hizashi squinted to try and read the sticker with the baby's name on the front, once more pressed against the glass just a little too closely. "Kik— no Kia—Ka—"

"It's says Kiyo." Supplied Aizawa.

"I know what it says! So how long does the little nugget gotta stay in there?" He asked, eyes trained on the squirming baby.

"Well they're actually gonna be moving her into my room later today. The nurse said that if everything checks out we can be out of here the day after tomorrow!" Nemuri finished with a smile.

Hizashi nodded along. "My mom says she'd be happy to give you a ride home when you're discharged. She's also got some of my old baby stuff if you want it."

Nemuri shook her head. "Shiro's cousin Haru said he'd pick us up. But it's a definite yes on the baby stuff. Be sure to thank your mom for me."

Shōta crossed his arms, clearly displeased. "That guy doesn't even have a license. Should you really be letting him drive with a newborn?"

Crossing her arms in return the young girl was quick to retort. "Oh don't give me that! Like I'd actually put my days old daughter in danger—you and I both know that you're just saying that 'cause you don't like him."

He shrugged. "I don't like anyone."

Hizashi began to playfully nudge his friend's shoulder. "Come on Eraserhead, there's no need to lie. We know you're secretly a big softy!"

The blonde made a grand gesture toward himself. "_I _for one, happen to like Haru!"

"Of course _you_ like him, he's the only one who'll put up with you during karaoke."

"**TEAM HARUZASHI FOR THE WIN!**"

The trio were promptly shushed by an irate nurse. They stood there in respectful silence for a minute before the tired looking boy spoke up again.

"So…" he began slowly. "Have you figured out what you're gonna do? With school I mean."

Nemuri didn't answer right away, instead choosing to admire the new life she'd made on the other side of the glass.

The topic of school had been a bit of a sensitive subject among the group, but between Aizawa and herself especially. The two had come together on their first day of U.A's General Studies course. Both having fallen victim to the school entrance exams faux villains and the unfortunate pairing of their quirks, they'd naturally come together. The more sociable girl more or less dragging him into friendship.

With the same goal of transferring into the hero course, they'd each pushed each other day after day to become stronger for when their big chance came to pass. They'd met Yamada Hizashi along the way. Nemuri was quick to bring the especially friendly boy into the fold, the stoic Shouta less so. But eventually even he was won over by the guy's endless attempts at friendship. So the two friends became a trio. The Three Musketeers as Hizashi liked to say.

Hizashi was more than supportive of his friend's mission to join the Hero Course. Which was more than they could say for anyone else in the class. On the contrary, when word of their ambition started to spread around the school Shouta and Nemuri had been met by nothing but contempt from the would-be heroes.

Harsh whispers and glares in the hallway, '_friendly advice_' to not bother trying because "it would be a shame if they embarrassed themselves'. '_**Reminders' **_that a school like U.A didn't make mistakes. If they didn't have what it took to make it in the first place then _obviously _there was a reason.

Then of course there were the rumors.

U.A had a strict policy against harassment, so there was nothing that could be proven or traced back to anyone. But that did nothing to erase the damage done.

On some level it made sense. If either of them managed to transfer into the Hero Course that meant someone would more than likely be kicked out. No one liked the idea that a couple of nobodies could crush their dreams and steal their place after they'd work so hard to get there. They were a threat. It made sense that they'd close ranks in a bid for self-preservation.

But still, one expected better of future heroes.

Poor Hizashi had become a bit of an outcast when he'd outright refused to stop hanging out with them, not that he cared in the slightest.

Rather than let their schoolmates words get to them, the friends had chosen to instead let it motivate them. And when they'd managed to blow away the audience at the 1st Year Sports Festival, having been offered immediate transfer into the Hero Course at the beginning of 2nd term, it looked as though their hard work was finally paying off.

It came to a head when Nemuri had fallen pregnant however.

The whole thing had caused a bit of a scandal. Apparently a student pregnancy hadn't occurred once in the school's history. A few people had expected her to drop out to save U.A's reputation, some demanded it.

The school's rumor mill went crazy again, this time pulling Hizashi into it with whispers about how, Kayama, being the absolute _tramp _that she was, had no idea who the father was. How clearly it had to be either Aizawa or Yamada Hizashi, but none of them knew for sure which.

And of course there was the overarching belief that there was just _**no way**_ she could be a hero now.

Nemuri was determined to prove everybody wrong all over again.

"There's not really much to figure out, I'm going." She answered firmly. "The school counselor said he'd help me work things out. I've got a few weeks before school starts up again in April, I'll figure out a system." Setting her shoulders she finished with, "it'll work."

She was saying that last part more to herself than to Shouta, but he didn't need to know that.

The two boys shared a look between themselves and for a second Nemuri was worried that her friends were about to disparage her, telling her that it'd be easier if she put her dream on the back burner.

She needn't have worried though because just them Hizashi's face split into a wide grin and Shouta's lip twitched into a half smile.

"Right on girl!"

"Good."

The girl smiled in return, throwing her arms around both the boys shoulders with a squeeze. "I mean it's not like I can leave you two in class without me now can I? We're a team!"

"Team _Midnight-Mic-Eraser_!"

"That sounds terrible." Came Aizawa's subdued voice.

"We'll work on it!" Nemuri said happily, before glancing at the wall clock. "We should probably get to my room before my nurse sees I'm gone."

Leaning down slightly she made sure to give her daughter a proper goodbye. "Bye-bye Kiyo-chan! See you soon!"

"Bye-bye little nugget!" Hizashi added with a wave.

As they walked down the pristine hospital hallway to her room, Nemuri considered something. "Do you think I'd get in trouble if I just walk out of here with Kiyo? I can't stand hospitals."

Little did she know that not too far away a certain someone was thinking much the same thing.

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**Author's Note:**

Thanks for the favorites and follows. Special thanks to and **phelipebr** and **Heitor **for reviewing.

**phelipebr, **thank you for being so quick to review. Hope you enjoy the story as it develops. Thanks for being the first to review.

**Heitor, **thank you for taking the time to review. I really enjoy hearing about what crosses people's minds as they read my stories so I really appreciated your review! I hope you enjoyed this chapter and continue to enjoy the story as it develops.


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note**

Thanks to everyone who reviewed the last chapter. You have no idea how happy it makes me when I see a new review notification. To answer a question, I have no update schedule so they'll be pretty sporadic.

I'm not too happy with this chapter. It's more filler, but here it is! Hope you enjoy regardless.

* * *

Kiyo was a cute baby. So cute she could be a model. The world's _cutest_ baby in fact. Truly a cherub among mortals with the world's chubbiest cheeks!

How did she know this?

Because her mom said so.

Every morning when Kiyo woke up, her mother started her day off with a chorus of "_mama's Kiyo-chan looks so cute this morning._" And "_who's the world's cutest baby?! You are!_" Followed by a peppering of kisses.

Followed by Kiyo having no other choice but to smile and laugh like crazy 'cause who doesn't like kisses?

This in turn makes her mom go crazy, giving her even more kisses. And so goes the adorable cycle before she decides they need to start getting ready for the day.

It had been a little over four months since Kiyo had made it home.

She liked to think she was a pretty good baby, only ever crying when she needed something, especially at night. Sometimes her fledgling emotions would get the best of her and she'd find herself in tears over a loud noise or because she wanted a cuddle. But luckily her mother was always happy to oblige.

In all honesty not much had happened really. She ate, slept, went to the bathroom and that was pretty much it.

There was playtime, which was only slightly less unremarkable. Kiyo was too proud to admit she'd become quite enamored with a rubber giraffe toy. The proper word for it was 'teether' but really it was basically a glorified chew toy. She was also fond of the occasional rattle.

The playtime she liked best however, was when her mom's friends showed up. The Scruffy One and the Loud One were so much fun! They each had proper names of course, but Kiyo thought her nicknames worked just as well.

They tended to come over once her mom was done with school for the day, though occasionally they'd show up early to arrive at school together. The loud one— Hizashi— was always extremely happy to see her. He'd smile really big and shout something like, "_Hey little nugget, it's your favorite uncle_!"

Kiyo could do nothing but babble back at him, equally as enthused but making no real sense. Thankfully Hizashi would just roll with it, going as far as to have full blown conversations with her.

"_Why thank you little nugget, I do look particularly handsome today. Thank you for noticing!"_

_"What was that Kiyo-chan? You think my singing voice is beautiful?"_

Uncle Hizashi's singing voice was terrible, but he was great for a laugh.

He was always holding her and making funny faces at her, handling her with an ease that made Kiyo think he must've had his fair share of experience with younger relatives.

Scruffy—Aizawa— was the opposite. The guy was the definition of subdued. More than happy to just sit and watch from the sidelines, he wasn't bursting at the seams to interact with her the way Hizashi was. He wasn't mean about it or anything, it was just pretty clear that babies made him a little uneasy. This of course made Kiyo want to latch on to him all the more.

Whenever Aizawa would come around Kiyo would squirm like crazy, making grabby hands in his direction indicating that she wanted him to pick her up. At first the boy had tried out right refusing. But Yamada and Kayama would have none of it.

"_She's a baby Shouta! What kind of hero is scared to hold a baby?"_

So that was where Kiyo found herself now, held tightly in a begrudging Aizawa Shouta's lap as she tugged on his long black locks .

"Smile you two!" Shouted her mother before taking a quick snapshot of the pair on her phone.

Kiyo had been quick to send a gummy smile in her direction while Aizawa was far more stone-faced and exasperated.

"That's a keeper!" Nemuri said with a laugh.

Kiyo clapped gleefully in response.

Well not really clapping. It was more like violent, erratic hand flapping, which would occasionally end up smacking poor Aizawa in the face.

"Oh Kiyo-chan loves her uncle Shouta doesn't she!" Nemuri cooed, not so secretly enjoying her friend's discomfort.

Cue more hand flapping and even more smacking.

Yamada did his best to hide his laughter in his fist, secretly filming the whole interaction on his own phone.

"Oh yes she does, doesn't she. Yes she does!"

More smacking, with a hard tug on his hair for good measure.

Aizawa groaned in response. "I hate you all…"

Nemuri finally took pity on her friend and took Kiyo off his hands. "Oh come on! You love it. Besides, no one in their right mind could hate this adorable little face!"

Kiyo knew she was a little young to think so highly of herself. But it would be a lie if she said she didn't live for all the attention. It wasn't her fault she was so cute after all, it was just good genes. I mean honestly, have you seen her mother?

What Kiyo had wanted to say was: "_Yeah I'm fucking adorable!_" But all that came out was incomprehensible babble coupled with a bit of drool. _Curse her lack of language skills!_

Thankfully her mother was quick to wipe her face with a handkerchief from her pocket.

Kiyo considered trying for a "thank you" before settling for lying her face on her mom's chest in her best attempt at a hug.

Of course the dark haired young woman just eats it up. "My beautiful little blueberry!" She squeals before managing to get another picture on her phone.

Her mother did that a lot, take pictures of her that is, video too. Whenever Kiyo did something even remotely interesting her mother was there with her phone in hand, ready to immortalize the moment. There were probably 30 separate videos of the day she started to be able to rollover alone. Needless to say it was a little excessive.

Kiyo herself couldn't comment on it of course, but she'd managed to gather that the reason for her mother's obsession was apparently due to the fact that Nemuri herself had no real momentos from her own childhood, save for school photos.

No baby pictures, no video of her first steps, no childhood artwork tucked away somewhere safe, no embarrassing photos to look on to fondly years later. No one had ever cared enough to make those memories for her. So she made up for it now by making sure that her daughter had more than she could ever want.

It was just one of the many things that made Kiyo realize that her mother didn't have the best home life situation. Afterall it hadn't escaped her notice that she had yet to meet anyone she might call 'grandpa' or 'grandma'.

Then of course there was their living situation.

On a lighter note, while Hizashi always called Kiyo 'Little Nugget' her mother had taken to calling her her little blueberry!

Though Kayama Nemuri's hair was quite dark, it wasn't black, falling more along the lines of a dark purple. In that same vein, her daughter's hair was of a similar shade but with more blue in it. Like indigo perhaps...or a blueberry!

The first time she'd seen herself in a mirror Kiyo had become quite fascinated with it. Pale blue eyes were all well and good, but indigo colored hair? In a world where shades of green or pink could grow naturally, rather than from a box, she'd fit right in.

"Hey," Yamada chimed in, one hand scrolling through his phone's feed. "We should probably get going if we wanna make it to school on time. Apparently there's a guy with some kind of gum quirk messing with the trains."

It was a good thing Kiyo was physically incapable of cursing her misfortune, otherwise her mother just might've washed her mouth out with soap. As nice as early morning playtime with her surrogate uncles was, she hated when they left because leaving meant one thing: _School_!

Kiyo had no qualms with education, none at all. School was important after all. It was 'their ticket out' as her mom liked to tell her sometimes as she vented to the four corners of their room late at night. Kiyo was proud to see how hard her mother worked to succeed at U.A. and in her future. It was actually part of the reason she strove to try and be such an easy baby. It was the least she could do. What kind of person would she be to stand in the way of the dreams of someone who'd loved her so much.

But for Kiyo school also meant long hours away from her mother, the one who loved her most in the world; her constant companion. It meant long hours spent on pins and needles waiting for her to come back.

It meant long hours on her own.

Kayama groaned loudly, Kiyo responding in kind. "Why do B-list villains always go for public transportation?!" The young woman lamented in exasperation. "If you're gonna have a tantrum in public at least have the decency to not inconvenience everybody else!"

Hizashi could only shrug while Aizawa shouldered her backpack for her. "Well let's go then."

Nemuri sighed in resignation. "Come on Kiyo-chan."

Kiyo's gripped tightened around the sleeve of her mother's uniform. She knew she should probably be more mature about the whole process but she couldn't help it.

The group made their way out of the room and into a long hallway filled with several identical looking doors that each housed identical living spaces to the one they were just in.

The hallway itself was quite busy. It was filled with a wide range of children milling around, many with school uniforms of their own—some for middle school, some for high school—each in a frantic rush to get ready for the day. A couple of the younger children were eager to say hello as the group passed.

"Good morning Kayama-senpai! Good morning Kiyo-chan!"

Nemuri was quick to reply, referring to each child by name as she greeted them—asking after their homework or reminding them to bring an umbrella for the walk back home.

The 'home' in question was the Kenbo Alternative Care facility. The facility was very much like an orphanage, though it wasn't one. Most of the children that lived here had at least one parent who was alive and well, but for one reason or another found themselves as wards of the state.

Exact reasons for ending up in Kenbo ran the gamut amongst its population, from all manner of abuse and neglect, to death and illness, or just plain abandonment in some cases. The building was equipped to handle children from ages four to eighteen, at which point they were expected to fend for themselves.

As a second-year in high school, Kayama Nemuri was one of the oldest kids there—and having lived at the facility her whole life—was at the top of its unofficial social hierarchy.

Kiyo didn't like to think about what sort of circumstances led to her mother calling this sort of place home from such a young age.

Burying her face in her chest she began to whimper and cry. Part of her hoped that maybe the display would convince the young heroes to sneak Kiyo in their backpacks and take her to school. Another part of her knew this wasn't going to happen and was just plain sad.

As the young mother did her best to comfort her child, Hizashi made an off-hand comment about how the baby could always tell when she was about to be left for a long while. Kayama sarcastically explained that it was one of the many perks of raising a genius.

The praise did nothing to improve Kiyo's mood, and her mother was left leaving soothing pats on her back to no avail.

* * *

Quirks were curious things. Some quirks are perfectly useless, some are remarkable.

Quirks are also decided by genetics.

In a society built around quirks and their usefulness, that means that a large portion of a person's socioeconomic status is decided for them before birth. Immediately, avenues in life are lost to you through no fault of your own. Whether people notice it or not, whether they admit it or not, quirk-based discrimination was a very real thing.

First and foremost, God help you if you were _Quirkless_. By way of cold hard logic, the Quirkless hadn't reached the next stage in human evolution. With this in mind, well, it wouldn't be _too_ out of line to call them sub-human would it? I mean really, by definition that was what they were wasn't it. Their very _being_ was well below the current standards for a human after all. As relics of a bygone era they had no place in the rapidly advancing society of today. As a literal step down in the evolutionary ladder, it was only right that you treat them no better than the dirt beneath your shoes.

People with flashier quirks are simply perceived as better in the court of public opinion. People with flashy quirks are naturally smarter, stronger, and destined for success and they're treated as such.

People with so-called '_villainous_' quirks are shunned from day one, treated differently from their peers and written off as a lost cause by their teachers because no one wants to be near what so obviously was a wolf in sheep's clothing. After all evil was _clearly_ in their blood. And if no one bothers to care for you, if all people do is disparage you, if all you hear day in and day out is that it's your destiny to be bad, then eventually you become convinced that's all you can be. Thus coming together in a grotesque self-fulfilling prophecy.

People could argue and defend the system all they wanted but it was simple prejudice by another name with a side of eugenics.

The whole thing was _despicable_.

Kiyo had yet to meet a Quirkless person but she had met someone with a 'villainous' quirk, several someone's in fact. One in particular was called Riku and despite what everyone liked to say about him, Riku was a wonderful person.

Riku was six. He was small for his age, all skin and bones with dark hair and eyes. His favorite animals were dinosaurs, his favorite color changed everyday and his favorite food was melonpan.

Riku was in the first grade. Riku liked to learn but he _hated_ school.

Riku hated school because the other kids made fun of him. They made fun of him for the state of his clothes, because of how small and skinny he was. They made fun of where he lived. They told him that his mother must've been a dirty woman and how his father must've been a bum—if he had a father that is.

Riku hated school because the adults never believed him when he told them what the other kids said. He hated how his teachers never seemed to be watching when the other kids messed with him, but always seemed ready to scold him for the slightest thing, even when it wasn't his fault. He hated how they never seemed to see his hand when he had a question and he hated how they'd call him stupid for not understanding things later on.

Most of all he hated that they'd call him a villain.

Kiyo knew all this and more because Riku had told her on more than one occasion.

It might seem weird for anyone to divulge their problems to a baby like this, but you'd be surprised.

You know how it's easier to tell a dog that you love them than it is to tell a person? Same basic principle. It's easier to be vulnerable when you know you won't be judged for what you've got to say. And in such cases, babies are just as good as dogs.

On certain days, after her mother had gone to school and left Kiyo in the care of the head matron in charge, Riku would come and see her. Having been suspended from school for something he no doubt didn't do, today was one such day.

A few hours after her mother was long gone and the matron had no sooner dumped her in her crib to cry herself hoarse, Riku had come in looking for something to do.

With the youngest kids in the facility being four years old, Kiyo was the only baby Riku had ever seen close-up and as a result he found her quite interesting, a fact the blue-eyed girl was quite thankful for as it was often Riku who'd helpfully remind the workers that Kiyo needed a bottle or a diaper change.

At first he'd just stare at her through the bars of her crib frozen like a statue for fear of making her cry, then as his confidence grew he progressed to talking to her and bringing his stuffed toys in to play with. Recently he'd begun going so far as to take Kiyo out of her crib and carry her around with him for the day.

Now, one would think it a decidedly bad idea to allow a six year old boy to look after a four month old baby, but for better or worse the adults at the facility were far too overwhelmed to notice or care. Thankfully, Riku was more mature than your average six year old and Kiyo was smarter than your average baby.

They were watching TV in the entertainment room together. 'Entertainment room' was a generous term. Really it was a regular room with an old couch and a bunch of donated toys that had seen better days. And of course, a reliable old TV.

Riku had the good sense to prop her up on the couch with some pillows so she could sit and watch without having to be held. None other than the great Symbol of Peace was on and Riku was far too excited to keep still.

"You see that Kiyo-chan? He just blew that bad guy away like it was nothing!" The young boy bounced around the room, making wild punching motions as he went along. "Bam! Bam! Just like that!"

Kiyo was currently busy with a pacifier so she didn't respond, but she did wave her hands a little to indicate she was listening.

Riku beamed. "I know! Amazing right?!"

Amazing indeed. The guy was like a god on earth. That was why the Symbol of Peace wasn't Kiyo's favorite hero on principle. It just wasn't fair to compare other heroes to All Might, the guy was on a whole other level.

Riku quickly pulled out action figures from the large plastic tubs around the room and promptly threw them into mock battles, complete with explosion noises.

The boy was considerate enough to lend Kiyo a toy in case she wanted to play too. Thankfully for everyone involved she was able to overcome the instinct to shove the small object in her mouth and instead settled for more TV.

The channel had switched to a series called_ 'Golden Oldies_' which talked about top Heroes from years past. Kiyo didn't recognize any of them, but hey it was something to do.

_'[...] The infamous villain Kaiju would be brought down by the Vigilante Era dream team made up of: Vapor,Vertigo and Mercury. The resulting showdown would become one of the most infamous and devastating of the early post-quirk age. However, before all this and before becoming such beloved and celebrated heroes, each of these young men first came from humble beginnings in a world still adjusting to the newfound power of quirks…'_

Quirks.

In her short few months of life Kiyo had spent a lot of time considering what hers might be.

After all, how could she not worry about something that could make or break her experience in this life? Doing otherwise would just be irresponsible.

Kiyo had already decided she wanted to be a Pro Hero, like her mother and uncles. She'd be crazy not to really. What could be better than being an honest to god superhero?

But to be a hero she'd need a strong quirk if she stood any chance at success. As young as she was she had yet to manifest one and she had about four more years to do so before she was deemed Quirkless, and by extension useless by society. In all honesty it was quite nerve-wracking to think that her life's ambition could be dashed away at the tender age of four.

Odds were she wouldn't end up Quirkless which was a plus. After all Quirkless people only made up 20% of the population at the very most, and as quirks were genetic, if you had at least one parent with a decent quirk you were pretty much guaranteed one yourself.

Kiyo liked to think she was destined for a flashy quirk. Her own mother's was amazing so it stood to reason that her's would be too. But there was just one problem with that theory. People got their quirk DNA from both parents, not just the one—her mom's baby daddy was just as much a factor in this as she was.

Kiyo knew nothing about the guy, but he had a whole family tree that played a role in deciding her fate that she had no way of knowing about. Same thing with her mother's family really. If Grandpa Kayama, Great-Aunt What's-Her-Name or Daddy Dearest had some useless quirk that decided to crop up in four years time then she was done for.

Sometimes Kiyo wished she'd been born in the Vigilante Era of Quirks. Back then having a quirk was still new and in the minority. If she'd been born then, she needn't worry about being Quirkless because everybody else was. And if she did have a quirk, it wouldn't have mattered if it was something stupid because the quirk-heirarchy had yet to become a part of society's culture. Plus, she could save lives without having to get a license.

Guys like Mercury or Vertigo didn't have to worry about getting early greys obsessing over those kinds of things.

"I wish I had a quirk like that..."

The addition of Riku's voice was so sudden that Kiyo nearly cried out in surprise.

Action figures now abandoned, he was staring intently at the television screen.

_'With the help of their Quirk, Ren Natto, known colloquially in later years as Booster Shot, was able to advance society's understanding of medicine in immeasurable ways. The exact amount of lives saved by this marvelous quirk are equally immeasurable…'_

His eyes were wide with wonder and just a dash of envy; his dimpled smile having morphed into a frown.

It wasn't hard for Kiyo to understand why.

Riku's quirk was called _**Paper Cut**_, though the name itself was a bit of a misnomer. Basically, with one touch Riku could—well, cut you. Oftentimes the cuts were actually much deeper and longer than an actual paper cut. Thus far it only seemed to work on flesh and only worked through his hands.

That was his 'villainous quirk'.

The ability to maim and mutilate; the exact opposite of what he saw on the screen.

Riku would never hurt anyone on purpose.

But he was also a little boy so there have been accidents. No one had ever been seriously hurt but the damage was done regardless

It didn't matter that all kids his age have accidents with their quirks. It didn't matter that _any_ quirk can be dangerous in the right circumstances, especially without the proper guidance.

Riku was a bad kid and that was that.

Riku coveted all healing quirks because they were his opposite. He was sure that with a healing quirk everyone would like him more. And then maybe he wouldn't get in trouble so much.

In the very back of her mind Kiyo was terrified of getting this same treatment four years from now. For people to think poorly of her without knowing her, for people to close their hearts to her so callously. She didn't think she could bear it.

It was impossible for Kiyo to offer up any words of comfort. If she could, she would've had a couple of choice words for the behavior of Riku's teachers. She would've been sure to include a talk about how great his own quirk could be. He could be a surgeon with that kind of power and surgeons were healers in their own right, and who knows how the power would grow as he grew older.

But most of all she would've explained to the boy that the way people treated him was wrong. And quirk or not, she knew he was a good kid.

But Kiyo had no words.

She did have hands though, so she used them to throw the toy next to her.

Given the state of her pudgy limbs, it didn't go far. Luckily Riku was pretty much right in front of her so she managed to bonk him on the back of the head regardless.

In an instant Riku turned around,"Hey! What was that for?"

He was a little annoyed. But his attention was away from the TV screen, which is exactly what Kiyo wanted.

She waved her hands around and made a lot of animated babbling noises, making sure to use her patented gummy smile.

Riku giggled at her antics, losing that horribly deep frown that had no business being on the face of someone so young.

Mission Accomplished.

"Are you laughing at me Kiyo-chan?" He joked.

Kiyo, of course, laughed in response.

The boy patted her on her head softly before admonishing her gently. "You shouldn't throw your toys at people Kiyo-chan, that's mean."

He even wagged a finger at her and everything. It was adorable!

The girl merely looked at him like the innocent little cherub that she wasn't.

In turn, the boy sighed like an exasperated parent. "You're a baby so I won't put you in time-out. But you have to promise to play nice, okay?"

Kiyo could only smile back but that was good enough for the first grader.

"Okay! We're gonna play dinosaurs now. You can be the T-Rex!" He finished excitedly.

The pair played dinosaurs (Riku more than Kiyo) for a good while before one of the facility's carers came into the room.

She was a slim woman—maybe 110lbs soaking wet—with tired looking green eyes and her hair done up in a messy bun. She also had two crying, snot-nosed kids clinging to each leg and was clearly frazzled.

"Oh good you're here," she sighed in relief.

"Hi Miss Tanaka." Riku greeted. Though Kiyo doubted she could hear him properly over the sound of wailing.

A normal infant would've joined in on the crying, but the young Kayama was far too mature for that. Besides, Kiyo worried that if she did, Miss Tanaka might just snap and decide to join in too.

"Can you do me a big favor and feed the baby for me Riku?" The woman asked, raising her voice slightly to be heard over the noise.

Riku nodded at once, always happy to help. "Yes Ma'am!"

With two small kids yelling and pawing at her for attention, Miss Tanaka somehow managed to get one of her hands free and quickly snapped her fingers. At once a warm bottle of milk appeared in Riku's hands.

That was Miss Tanaka's quirk: Snap. A teleportation quirk limited to small non-living objects at a max of 5-7ft away.

The exhausted woman thanked the brown-haired boy on the way out, walking like Frankenstein's Monster thanks to the additional weight of the children that refused to let go of her. "Thank you for being such a good boy Riku. I really appreciate the help."

Miss Tanaka didn't see how Riku beamed at being called a good little boy, but Kiyo did. The fact that such a simple praise could mean so much to the boy broke her heart.

Even living in a place like this Kiyo knew she was lucky.

First off it was only thanks to extraordinary circumstances that she was allowed to stay with her mom. Normally if a girl here got pregnant her choices were to either sign away her rights to her baby or be kicked out all together.

Most children here hadn't lived with their family members in years, much less seen them. In some cases this was for the best. But in a lot of them seeing a loved one, even just once, would mean so much.

Kiyo had a mother who showered her with love and words of affection every chance she got.

The most every other kid here had were strangers paid to look after them. People they could never develop a long-lasting relationship with. People who went home at the end of their shift to their own families. People who never once told them 'I love you' in all their time here.

All this together made her appreciate her mom all the more for loving her the way she did in the face of her own upbringing.

As Kiyo ate she found she had a lot to think about.

About how a boy everyone else deemed dangerous could be so gentle with her.

About how that same boy deserved every friend in the world, yet had none.

About the kind of person she'd be if she'd had to grow up in a place like this without her mother.

About how cruel a world of superheroes could be…

* * *

At the end of the day, when Kayama Nemuri finally makes it home, Kiyo holds her tight. Trying her best to convey her immense gratitude.

The young woman is worse for wear, uniform more messy than its usual state of casual dishevelment. There's bits of grass stuck in her hair and her left cheek's been fitted with a large square bandage. No doubt the remnants of some intense Hero class exercise.

Kiyo couldn't wait to talk so she could ask her mom about her day. So she could truly let her know how grateful she was for all she did for her.

Despite looking dead tired, the dark-haired girl still made time for her daughter, and did so without complaint.

The young mother held her baby in her arms and smiled, showering her with all the "I love you's" she never received but so desperately craved when she was a child.

Though Kiyo couldn't stop herself from worrying about things like the status of her quirk, she knew the one person she'd never have to worry about was her mother.

Flashy Quirk, Useless Quirk, Villainous Quirk or no Quirk at all, she'd love her the same regardless.

It didn't matter if Kiyo never met her father or any other family members. She had a mother who could love her more than all of those people put together. And she had uncles who'd care for her like she was connected to them by blood.

That sort of thing was hard to come by. Priceless even.

Kiyo couldn't believe her luck.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

For the last chapter I researched teen pregnancy in Japan. For this one I looked up the country's child welfare system. Alternative Care facilities are where the majority of children end up when they're taken or abandoned by their parents. If you'd like to look into it yourself Google "japan throwaway children" to get started.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N:** I tried something new for this chapter, hope y'all don't mind. I looked up the Japanese prison system for this chapter. Unfortunately there wasn't much info available in a language that wasn't Japanese so I had to base it off Fuchu Prison specifically. I took some creative license for how prison might work in the BNHA world. Enjoy!

Also please don't spam the comments for when the next update will be. I update when I can. I promise I never forget about one of my stories.

* * *

"You Ken?"

"Actually it's—"

"My name's Hakuchi. I'll be showing you the ropes today. Follow me." Without a word he spun on his heel and walked with purpose down the long cement walkway, leaving Ken to catch up.

"Excuse me—"

"I expect you to call me sir or senpai while you're with me; just because we're partners doesn't make us equals. I also expect you to listen to everything I tell you and I mean everything—I don't tolerate backtalk. Is that clear Ken?"

Hakuchi's strides were longer than his junior's but he didn't bother slowing down. He had no time for useless rookies who couldn't keep up.

"Yes sir. I just wanted to—" The rookie officer jumped back slightly when the older man quickly turned to face him, eyes full a steely irritation.

A former officer in the Japanese military, Hakuchi Goro had little patience for people he felt weren't towing the line. "That was a simple yes or no question. I expect a yes or no answer. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes! Yes sir."

Though the kid spoke clearly—man really but anyone under the age of forty was a kid to him—Hakuchi could still see the unease in his eyes. '_Pathetic,'_ he thought.

Saying nothing, he took this time to scrutinize the so-called fresh meat in front of him, slowly circling him like a predator would his prey. Ken at least had the good sense to stand at attention

"Your cap is crooked. Fix it."

"Yes sir!"

"I expect those shoes to be polished next time."

"Yes sir!"

"A guard's uniform is important. It's what separates him from the dregs we look after. Think of it not as a simple piece of fabric but as a shield; an emblem that connects you to all your brothers who are wearing the same. I think that kind of thing deserves to be treated with the proper care and respect, don't you."

"Yes sir!"

There were those who believed that Hakuchi took his job too seriously. He didn't think so. He simply expected a certain level of quality from those around honestly, if he didn't take his job seriously, who would put the trash in their place? Who would whip beanpoles like Ken into shape?

"That's what I like to hear," he declared with a self-satisfied grin before clasping the smaller man on the shoulder. "Welcome to Fuchiwara Prison."

In the grand scheme of things Fuchiwara Prison wasn't particularly noteworthy, after all it was no Tartarus. Hell, Fuchiwara wasn't even a maximum security prison. Its outsides and insides were equally unremarkable—all concrete, high walls and steel bars just like any other prison in the country.

There was nothing special about the facility, but that didn't stop Hakuchi from treating it as though it were a castle, one where he was king and everyone else his subjects.

As the warden he was as good as king. Nothing happened without his say so, no one acted unless it was under his order. His word was the end all be all—unquestionable, respected—and that was exactly how he liked it.

Kings didn't waste time on pointless things like learning the names of those beneath them and they certainly didn't waste time to curry favor with the trash they governed. After all, it was better to be feared than loved. You get too friendly with people and they start walking all over you. No, proper kings focused on their strength. They fortified their defenses, trained their soldiers so they'd become a force to be reckoned with. Formidable. Infallible. Unstoppable.

That was why Hakuchi insisted on pairing up with every new guard that came in. He trusted no one else to make sure they were up to standard. He treated newbies terribly, running them ragged, tearing them down so he could build them back up. In all honesty it gave him a good laugh watching them try to keep up.

Ken was good for a laugh. The kid flinched whenever Hakuchi got into his face or raised his voice, he kept having to pick up the pace so much to keep up he'd ended up out of breath. He turned into a bumbling mess whenever Hakuchi asked him too many questions too quickly: _What year was the prison built? What's its max capacity, how many exists? What's protocol if you catch two inmates fighting? What's protocol if you lose your key card? What's protocol if you lose your holo-cuff or your glasses?_

He had to give it to the kid though, he was a quick study and so far hadn't shown any sign of wanting to quit. He'd started Ken out on what was essentially a tour of the prison. Fuchiwara wasn't exactly a maze, but it's layout and the fact that it covered over 50 acres could give you pause on the first day. The facility and its various wards followed a kind of honeycomb design, with different sections of the prison being completely quarden off from each other save for heavily guarded sky-bridges that served as the only way in and out.

Like every other prison in the country they separated prisoners by quirk type, They had separate sections for emitter-types, another for mutant-types, ect. where prisoners were therein separated by their subtypes. Each pod had its own rules and regulations that needed to be followed and so far Ken hadn't proved himself to be a _complete_ dumbass. He was able to recite the schedule backwards and forwards: "_Prisoners begin work at 8AM until 4:40PM with two breaks in-between sir! Cell inspection begins at 5:15 sir" _

He could prattle off any obscure rule he asked of him. He was quick to figure out how to use the tech too. He had trouble reading his holo-map and getting his key-card to work but that was expected on the first day. He was able to read off prisoners info quickly too. Really the one thing Hakuchi hated about the kid was how soft he was.

One of the inmates shirts hadn't been tucked in and the warden hadn't liked the attitude he'd received. He acted accordingly; putting the guy in check. But by the way Ken reacted you'd think he'd been beating an innocent bunny rabbit to a bloody pulp and not a piece of human trash. The little pansy had tried to spout some bullshit about prisoner's rights. Hakuchi explained that all the people in here had forfeited any '_rights'_ as soon as they walked in and anything they got they deserved. Anybody who couldn't live in regular society without causing trouble didn't deserve to be coddled. Ken just flinched away and looked down. He'd have to make the kid see sense eventually or he'd be a problem.

That one glaring flaw aside, he thought it was about time to set the kid off on his own for a bit—it wasn't like he could babysit him forever after all. He wasn't heartless though. He left Ken with a few parting words of advice. "Don't hesitate if anyone looks at you funny. I mean it, otherwise these guys'll think they can walk all over you. Use your holo-cuff if you get lost. Try not to get murdered. Keep your eyes on your key-card at all times or _I'll _murder you."

* * *

Ken—as he was apparently called now—had a lot of mixed feelings about his new job.

Prison guard hadn't been his first choice of career but even so he hadn't been dreading his first day. In fact he'd actually gotten pretty excited once he'd been suited up with the more technologically advanced parts of the uniform. His inner child had done a flip when he'd been handed all the stuff—he'd felt some kind of super spy. But that had all changed once he'd met his superior.

The warden had insisted on calling him Ken. That wasn't his real name but that didn't seem to matter. He was also fairly certain that the warden was trying to get him to quit which made no real sense. There were times where his senpai seemed nice enough like when he didn't yell at him when had trouble reading his holographic map, but there was no mistaking it. Hakuchi was a bonafide psycho.

Initially he'd simply assumed that his new senpai was just a regular no nonsense kind of guy, that once they got to know each other well enough he'd ease up and maybe stop calling him Ken. But that all flew out the window once the older man had decided to beat some poor guy for no reason.

They'd just passed by an inmate with an insect-type quirk. Inmates had strict dress codes they had to follow and this one's shirt hadn't been tucked in properly, Hakuchi had ordered the inmate none too kindly to fix the problem. The younger man had assumed that the prisoner would simply receive a warning for the infraction, maybe a write up at the very most per the rules. But then out of seemingly nowhere he'd started wailing on the guy. The rookie had been so stunned that it was a while before his brain could register what was going on and by then Hakuchi had decided that the inmate had had enough. When he tried to ask what the _hell _had just happened all Hakuchi said was that the guy had been taking too long.

Now '_Ken'_ was no saint but even he knew that beating an inmate for no reason was wrong and he'd said as much. But rather than have the decency to look at least a little guilty his senpai made it seem like the behavior was perfectly normal, _expected_ even! He had no idea what to do with that information and was relieved when the warden decided they should go their separate ways. Ken needed time to seriously reconsider his career choices. As his mind ran wild trying to decide what to do he figured it would be best to try and at least finish his work for the day. Quitting after the first day was going to look terrible on his resumé but it had to be better than getting fired halfway through his first day.

Being a guard wasn't all that hard. Unless it was time for a cell inspection most of the work involved was technically patrol, walking up and down the pods and factory lines looking for any sign of trouble. Inmates were required to salute guards as they passed and it made Ken uncomfortable, several times he had to stop himself from saluting back. The monotony did make it easy to people-watch though, a pretty fun pastime now that he had the guard glasses. The glasses read the number on the quirk-inhibiting collars around prisoners necks, and brought up all their information for guards to see. From his post on the prison factory floor Ken had quite a bit of fun seeing who's who.

It became less fun when he realized that the inmates would flinch whenever he turned to look in their direction. It became downright stomach churning when he realized that the warden wasn't the only one in the habit of harassing the inmates. More than once Ken could see some of the other guards giving them grief over the smallest things, their work station was too messy, they needed to sit up straighter, they needed to work faster etc. At one point a guard had started berating two prisoners and the sudden addition of a raised voiced had Ken's head turning at once:

**Prisoner #1070- **_**Moto Junya**_

**Identifying Features: **_Scar on left hand, tattoo on left shoulder_

**Crime(s): **_Solicitation, Destruction of public property, Public nuisance_

**Threat Level: I**

**Quirk- Mutant**: "_Fly"_

_—_

**Prisoner #1001- **_**Nonaka Ikki**_

**Identifying Features: **_N/A_

**Crime(s): **_Insurance fraud_

**Threat Level: I**

**Quirk- Emitter**: "_Pop_"

The guard whose name he didn't know had accused the pair of talking to each other, which was forbidden. It was also forbidden for prisoners to talk back to guards so the two had to stand there with their heads down as the guard went off.

"You two know the rules. Absolutely no talking during work hours whatsoever! Maybe carpentry's too hard for you is that it—you two numbskulls can't figure out what to do without shooting your mouth off? Maybe you'd like some time in punishment instead!"

At once the pair dropped to the floor, touching their heads to the ground in a bid for forgiveness. Still they said nothing. The guard looked terribly pleased with himself and didn't signal for them to get back up right away. Ken turned away his gaze. He'd been willing to stick it out as long as the Warden was the only one with this twisted sense of right and wrong but clearly that wasn't the case.

The rest of the work hours went on in complete silence save for the noise of tools and shuffling of footsteps. A few of his fellow guards had come over to try and make small talk but he didn't give much in the way of conversation. He had no interest getting to know any of them now that he'd decided to quit, especially if they all behaved the same way. He probably should've made an effort to try and seem more friendly though because when the bell had rung to signal the end of the work day one of the other guards had taken him aside and told Ken he'd be staying behind to supervise the inmates in charge of cleaning up.

He couldn't help feeling like he was being hazed, especially when they told him he'd be working alone with no backup.

There was no point in arguing, he was the rookie, he had no power and no seniority, he was just supposed to get on with it. No questions asked—no objections. But _boy _did he want to object. He knew he wasn't in danger of getting stabbed or anything since all the prisoners had to turn in their tools immediately after the bell had sounded, but still. Ken didn't fancy his odds in a 4-on-1 fight, even if there were no quirks involved. As soon as everyone else had filed out he watched his charges like a hawk. It was probably his crippling paranoia talking but all four seemed like the scariest looking guys in the pod and Ken couldn't help wondering if his fellow guards had singled them out for him on purpose.

Ken tried reasoning with himself in an effort to relax. After all it could be worse, I mean it's not like any of these guys were a threat level five right? And prison food had left them all so skinny, maybe he _could _take them on if he needed to. Plus he was a guard, they wouldn't mess with him if he was a guard, not unless they wanted to get punished. Yeah that's right! In the back of his mind he could hear the warden telling to "straighten out" anyone that so much as looked at him funny.

With a shake of the head Ken puffed out his chest. That was what you were supposed to do to make yourself more intimidating right? Make yourself look bigger like you do for mountain lions? Or was that for bears? No wait, you're supposed to run downhill for bears...no that's not right. If it's brown, lay down, if it's black fight back. Mountain lions then?...HOLD IT!

The young man practically jumped out of his skin as he broke from his daydream. He couldn't afford to get distracted and here he was doing exactly that. He did a quick scan of the woodworking factory floor, he could see three inmates diligently sweeping away sawdust. Where was the fourth?!

"Shit!" Ken hissed quietly, trying not to draw attention to his distress. His head swiveled around wildly trying to spot the missing prisoner before realizing he honestly had no idea who he was looking for. The prison-issue uniforms and buzzcuts made it so everyone looked the same.

He needed to call this in didn't he? But first he needed to sweep the area, make sure he wasn't wasting everybody's time—that was protocol.

With no time to think he speed-walked to the cage where the tools were locked up; he wanted to be sure the makeshift weapons were secure first of all. He was so focused on the task at hand he didn't realize what had happened when he rammed right into someone. They landed on the floor in a heap but Ken was quick to get back on his feet. Apparently he'd rammed right into his missing prisoner so that was a plus. He was just about to apologize when he noticed a piece of paper on the floor between them. Wanting to be helpful he picked it up without thinking. Suddenly, faster than he could blink, the inmate had shot up, caught him by the front of his uniform and slammed him against the tool cage

Ken's mind was going a mile a minute now. As he stared bewildered into the the most piercing blue eyes he'd ever seen before his adrenaline addled brain could only process the most pertinent of information presented to him.

**Prisoner #1113- **_**Ishikari Kōshiro**_

**Threat Level: IV**

**—**

It was lucky the sunglasses made it so people couldn't see your eyes otherwise the inmate could've easily seen how scared he was. But then as quickly as it happened he was let go. Ishikari had dropped to the ground and bowed so low his head was against the floor. The emotional rollercoaster of what had all gone down in less than 10 seconds had left Ken quite literally struck dumb.

Seconds passed and neither moved. Ken, still stuck in the afterglow of escaping what he thought was certain death, looked at the piece of paper in his hand in a daze. He realized it wasn't a piece of paper but a small photograph, the kind meant for your wallet. He could see from the crease in the middle that it had been folded and unfolded many times.

"Is this yours?" He asked. Ishikari stiffened but he didn't look up from his place on the floor. The young guard realized that he was expecting Ken to 'discipline' him. Prisoners were required to remain quiet when that happened. He hadn't exactly appreciated getting shoved against a wall but he did appreciate how quick the guy was to let him go. Rules dictated that Ishikari be taken to receive punishment for putting his hands on a guard but Ken didn't feel like doing that.

"It's a nice picture," he said as he slowly placed the photo back in front of the blue-eyed young man. Ishikari looked from the photo and back to him. He was clearly trying to figure out if it was some sort of trick. "Take it." Ken said.

The inmate didn't need to be told twice. He held the photo tight in his grasp, his body rigid with anticipation. He was waiting for the other shoe to drop. But Ken, who had already decided not to allow this place to turn him into something he wasn't, had no ulterior motive.

"She yours?" Ken asked, referring to the child in the photo. Ishikari nodded silently. He was still on the ground. Ken didn't like the idea of looming over the poor guy so he asked him to stand up, which he did, again making no noise and hardly glancing up.

"Hey man, you're not in trouble." Ken added, knowing full well that prisoners weren't allowed photos of any kind and that this one had to have been smuggled in somehow. "I'm not planning on sticking around. As long as you don't plan on choking me out or anything you and me don't have a problem." He explained, trying for a joking tone in an attempt to lighten the mood.

Judging by the look on his face Ishikari was still having trouble believing him. Most guards wouldn't have waited this long to start smacking people around though, so he decided Ken must not've been a complete liar.

"I'm..._sorry_ about that," Ishikari began slowly. "I just, I just really didn't want you to take it, that's all."

There was a pause and then Ishikari added in a hurry. "I wasn't hiding back here either! There are some garbage cans back here, I was just chucking it down the shute."

Ken nodded in understanding. He was pleased that the guy in front of him didn't seem as scared of him anymore. He wasn't a fan of striking fear into people's hearts.

"I'm not gonna lie; you scared the shit out of me for a sec. But no harm no foul. Who knows, I might've done the same if I thought some guy was gonna snatch up my kid's photo." He laughed.

Ken was smiling now and Ishikari allowed himself an uneasy smile in return. "You have kids?" The blue-eyed young man asked tentatively.

Ken nodded eagerly. "Wish I had a picture on me to show you. She looks just like my wife, turned seven last month. You married?" To anyone listening the conversation must've seemed terribly odd given what had happened just a few minutes ago. But Ken-not Ken was nothing if not friendly.

Ishikari shook his head and the guard chuckled goodnaturedly. "Didn't think so! Can't imagine anyone wanting to get married at your age."

Ishikari rubbed the back of his head sheepishly, an act that made him look even younger. "I'm not a deadbeat or anything," he defended. "I wanted to get married but…"

"Your girlfriend didn't wanna get married just 'cause you got her pregnant." Ken finished and Ishikari deflated as he hit the proverbial nail on the head.

"I would've wanted to marry her anyway though! Even _before_ she told me I wanted to ask. In a few years anyway..."

Ken thought the kid sounded pretty passionate. _Ah to be young and in love~. _"Don't worry about it too much," he offered. "I didn't marry my wife until Leica was a few years old."

"Leica?"

"Oh, that's my daughter's name." He replied laughing. "Forgot to mention that! I know it's not a common name but I'm a photographer ya see."

Ishikari nodded along, not quite understanding what photography had to do with anything but at the same time not wanting to appear rude. "Must've been a pretty big career change if you were a photographer."

Ken looked awkward for once. "Yeah. Business has been slow and we needed the extra money... but I'll figure something out!" Suddenly he felt eager to change the subject. "So what's your kid's name?"

"Kiyo." Ishikari said softly.

Ken grinned. "You'll wanna keep a good eye on that photo. They're at their cutest when they're that young." The very real reminder of what would happen if an inmate were caught with contraband went unsaid

Ishikari nodded. "Thanks…"

"Don't mention it bud!" 'Ken' finished brightly.

All things considered not a bad first and last day he thought. He'd probably cut out the part about almost getting assaulted by a gangster when he told his wife though.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: **Think of this as a Christmas gift from me to all of you. I hope all of you who celebrate are having a good day. There won't be an update until next year I'm afraid so happy New Year as well, stay safe out there.

Please consider leaving a **review. **I'd really like to know what you think about this chapter!

* * *

Kiyo had imagined what her first time on U.A's campus would be like plenty of times. She pictured herself on her first day of school, a bright-eyed high school first year in a brand new uniform, her mother beaming with pride as she went out into the world.

In yet another fantasy Kiyo imagined what it would be like the day of the entrance exam. The morning of she'd be beyond nervous (though she tried desperately to hide it) and her mother—now a hero in her own right—would come up with an excellent pep talk about how she was gonna crush the exam, her uncles would of course also offer their own words of advice and encouragement. Then, filled with confidence, Kiyo would indeed _crush _the exam with her positively _heroic _quirk, succeeding in making her mother proud and securing a path to her life's dream!...

But as most people will tell you fantasy and reality don't often come together. Because as it happened Kiyo's first steps on U.A grounds had nothing to do with high school entrance exams or the first day of school. It wasn't how she pictured it but Kiyo thought getting her first taste of U.A at its annual school festival wouldn't be so bad

What was bad however, was just how crowded everything was.

Barring major security concerns, U.A's school festival worked like any other high school's did. Students, their families and the general public were invited to come and partake in what the alumni had made while getting to know the school. U.A being as famous as it was meant that A LOT more people showed than there would ever be at a regular school's festival.

Though the crowds were nowhere near as big as they were for the Sports Festival it was still an impressive turn out.

Kiyo, being a small child of almost two years of age now, found the whole thing intimidating. It looked terribly easy to get lost in such an expansive sea of bodies, even if she was in a group. As her mother's legal family, the residents of Kenbo Alternative Care Facility had been invited to join the festival. Additionally, as the family members of a U.A student, they were all entitled to free food at any of the many stalls available. This meant that everyone at the facility who wasn't already busy had been chomping at the bit to go for the past month. Together, this made for a large group of rowdy, overexcited children who hardly got to go anywhere fun with way too few chaperones to look out for them. It felt like an accident waiting to happen in Kiyo's opinion, but then again nobody asked her.

There were so many of them that apparently U.A's principal felt it appropriate to meet them at the gates personally to greet them, explain how things worked to the adults in charge and hand out the special bracelets they needed to show to get the coveted free food. Always pleased to receive any kind of attention, the other children immediately started to hound the principal with questions ranging from:

"_Can I come to U.A too?" "My quirk's really good, want to see?" "If you're an adult why are you so short?"_ And "_Is all the food really free?" _

Kiyo was honestly surprised that they all had enough manners to know not to ask what the heck he was supposed to be or how he'd gotten that gnarly scar on his face.

She was excited to meet Principal Nezu too for the sole reason that he looked quite cuddly, whatever he was. She'd about died of happiness when he politely shook the hand she'd offered out to him because his fur was just so dang soft—!

"Oh my, aren't you an expressive little thing!" He commented jovially after she basically squealed at him.

Kiyo was just about to see if she could work in another handshake when she saw something—or rather someone— else that made her squeal with delight. "Mama!" Her mother had apparently been close by when they'd arrived and had come jogging over at the sight of them.

Without a second thought Kiyo let go of the adult's hand she was holding and ran toward her. She'd learned how to walk months ago but her coordination still needed work so she was less than graceful as she fell into her mother's arms.

"Hi!" Nemuri said with a laugh as she scooped her daughter up and walked over to stand next to the principal.

"Hello there Miss Kayama," He said. "I was just greeting your guests. This is your little one I take it?" He finished with a small smile.

"Yes sir," her mother said. She then prompted Kiyo to say hello to him and she was more than happy to oblige

"Hello Kiyo," he said kindly. "It's wonderful to finally meet you."

His voice hadn't taken on the baby-talk quality that so many peoples' did when they spoke to the toddler. Instead he'd spoken to her plainly, like you would do with an adult, or indeed anyone you'd expect to be able to hold intelligent conversation.

Unfortunately, while Kiyo had finally learned to speak, her language skills had yet to progress to what could be considered perfectly conversational, or perfectly comprehensible for that matter, especially when she got excited. Not wanting to make a fool of herself, Kiyo fell back on her skill of mimicking words she'd just heard, responded with a "Wonderful!" in return and again stuck her hand out to shake. Nezu indulged her.

"Well then, I believe I should get going. Enjoy the festival everyone!"

Nezu waved goodbye as he left and Kiyo waved back as he disappeared into the crowd.

With the principal now gone the other kids were now positively buzzing with excitement, talking animatedly with each other about all the things they wanted to see and all the food they wanted to eat. If U.A hadn't been positively rolling in cash Kiyo might've been a little worried they would go bankrupt with all the money they were gonna be missing out on. Several of the children had brought backpacks for the express purpose of stocking up on anything and everything they wanted.

Kiyo'd just heard one boy talking about how he was gonna eat cotton candy tell he puked, when her mother addressed the the head matron in charge, sounding upset.

"Not that I'm not thrilled to have you all here but do you really think you'll be able to keep an eye on everyone?"

"It's a Saturday," the older woman explained. "Most of the others had plans with their families and I can't make children stay behind just because there aren't enough chaperones. I would've had a riot on my hands."

This was very true and Nemuri knew that. Not getting to come on this trip while others did would've certainly broken hearts, especially since the children at the facility hardly ever got to go anywhere interesting. But by the looks of things the ratio of kids to adults in the group stood somewhere around 11 to 1 and the very real possibility that her baby might be overlooked made her uneasy. It was one thing when this happened behind the safety of Kenbo's walls, and another when they were out where anything could happen.

"It'll be fine." The matron insisted. "Myself and the others will look after the younger ones and the older ones can look after themselves if need be."

The self proclaimed R-rated hero looked unconvinced. "I don't know...maybe I should—."

"Mama!" Kiyo interjected. "S'okay mama, s'okay." She patted her mother's head a few times, trying to sooth her. She wanted the girl to enjoy herself. It didn't seem fair that she should miss out on her festival just because of her, especially since she got so few chances to relax these days. Kiyo couldn't exactly _say_ that she wouldn't be wandering off into suspicious white vans or into the arms of strangers with candy anytime soon, but she hoped this would be enough to ease her fears.

Nemuri and the matron laughed. "You see!" Proclaimed the older woman. "You go have fun with your class. We've got everything under control here."

Kiyo nodded fervently in agreement. "Fun!"

Her mother squeezed her tight before planting a kiss and her forehead. "If you're sure…" she then turned her head to face Kiyo again. "Be good for mama okay? We'll see uncle Mic and Uncle Zaza later."

Kiyo's hands shot up in excitement. "Zaza!" If she really tried Kiyo might've been able to say 'Aizawa' properly, but the title of 'Zaza' was much funnier.

As her mother jogged off to rejoin her class and prepare for their part in the festival Kiyo was determined not to make her mother worry.

Too bad the universe had other plans

* * *

Kiyo had to hand it to them, for a festival run almost entirely by students the whole event was pretty amazing. It was more like a proper carnival than something you expect to be set up by a bunch of teenagers. There were so many things to see and do, she'd out right refused to be strapped into her stroller. Instead she walked hand in hand with her ever present protector, Riku.

Now eight years old, not much had changed about the dark-haired boy. He'd gotten taller of course, but he was still the sweet boy Kiyo had met in her first few months of life. Kiyo had been certain that once her novelty had worn off, Riku would leave her for bigger and better things. But in the nearly two years since, Riku had remained a constant presence in her life.

The pinnacle of what an older sibling should be, Riku was always looking out for her. It was Riku who taught her to catch (or tried to anyway), it was Riku who passed on age-old wisdoms like the one about yellow snow and it was Riku who'd come to her rescue when older kids tried to mess with her. Culturally, it's common for younger children to refer to older children as onii-chan or onee-chan often, but Kiyo really did mean it when she called Riku her big brother.

"Last piece okay Kiyo-chan?"

The toddler nodded as she stuffed a tiny piece of their shared cotton candy into her mouth.

"Don't forget to brush your teeth before you go to bed today okay, or you'll get cavities."

"Kay." Kiyo started picking at the bits of cotton candy that had stuck to her shirt. Normally she tried to eat as neatly as possible. But quite frankly she hated what she had on. All the Kenbo kids had been decked out in identical t-shirts whose neon green color made them easy to pick out in a crowd, but clashed terribly with Kiyo's hair. She didn't mind getting it dirty.

"Walk quickly now, there's no point in meandering." Went a stern voice.

"Yes Miss Benio" the children in the group chorused, and Kiyo and Riku did their best to pick up the pace.

Kiyo didn't like ; no one did really because she was the epitome of old and crotchety. Kiyo, like everyone else, much preferred the other head in charge, Mrs. Asaji who was far nicer. But when the little kid's group had been split up Kiyo hadn't wanted to kick up a fuss about who she'd been stuck with.

"Are you tired Kiyo?"

She shook her head vehemently.

"Are you sure? You don't have to keep walking if you don't want to." Riku insisted.

Again, Kiyo shook her head. Truth was she was tired, but sitting in her stroller meant having to be pushed by Old lady Benio and that was the last thing Kiyo wanted.

"Did you like the show Kiyo-chan?

The toddler giggled at the question. "Yeah! Uncle Mic funny" She replied, referring to the play they'd just seen where mother's class had her uncle Hizashi as the leading lady and her Uncle Aizawa as a rather despondent leading man.

A couple of the other kids around them heard this and started acting out scenes from the play. Imitating Uncle Mic's false falsetto voice and swooning on top of each other before bursting out laughing.

"Unless you all want to be sent back home I suggest you children stop behaving like a bunch of animals!"

"Yes Miss Benio."

"Now get back in line, all of you!"

There was a lot of bumping of shoulders as children hurried back into the single file line Old Lady Benio had had them in, the only exception being Kiyo and Riku, who were allowed to walk side by side in the line.

Like a drill sergeant, the ancient woman marched them along the U.A campus, parting crowds as she went with a single look.

A whisper of "left, left, left, right, left!" came from an older girl in the line with a cheeky grin on her face and the others did their best to smother their laughter.

"What was that?"

"Nothing Miss Benio!" Sang the miniature platoon.

Despite Old Lady Benio's sour attitude, their little group was able to have an excellent time as the day went on.

They stopped by a petting zoo one of the courses had put on which was a huge hit with everyone—the only mishap being when one of their number tried to smuggle a bunny out under their shirt. Then there was this wonderful bit with what had to have been the world's biggest bubble machine. Afterwards, they had a quick lunch break where Kiyo met up with her mother again, accompanied this time by her two favorite uncles. Several of the kids instantly recognized the pair out of costume and were very eager to watch a repeat of their antics off stage.

Normally the blue-eyed girl would've been terribly jealous of all the attention her uncles—Hizashi more than anything— were giving to children who weren't her. But Kiyo's mother had recently explained to her the importance of sharing, so she let things be.

Lunch itself consisted of delicious gyoza and Kiyo excitedly telling her mom all the things they'd done so far as they sat together enjoying the afternoon sun. Kiyo was so excited in fact, that her words quickly dissolved into happy babbling despite herself. Her mother, the saint she was, continued to nod along though, as if her daughter _wasn't_ making zero sense. Luckily, Riku was more than happy to fill in the blanks for her.

Lunchtime came to an end faster than Kiyo would've liked. Her mother attempted to join their group for the rest of the day but Kiyo, along with , managed to convince her that this wasn't necessary; Mrs. Asaji in particular reminded the elder Kayama that doing so would mean missing her chance to compete in the beauty pageant she'd been looking forward to. Kiyo would've enjoyed her mother joining them very much but the young woman had more than earned a day off and her daughter was doing everything in her power to make sure she got it.

Now in her third and final year at U.A Nemuri (along with Hizashi and Aizawa) was beyond busy. Along with regular school work there was also her work-study with the hero My Purple Highness. And on top of that Nemuri had also taken on a part-time job. There was a little over four months left before she was to officially graduate from high school. That meant there was a little over four months before both she and Kiyo would have to leave the only home either of them had ever known. If they didn't wanna end up celebrating Kiyo's second birthday while homeless and destitute, Nemuri needed all the money she could get her hands on before then. If that meant burning the candle at both ends then so be it.

And as if all that wasn't stressful enough, it wasn't so long ago that the trio of high schoolers had had to deal with the grief of losing a dear friend at the hands of an unscrupulous villain and mountain of falling debris. Needless to say, Kiyo was genuinely concerned that the members of her little family were in serious danger of having a nervous breakdown if they didn't take time to relax and act their age, rather than like heroes.

With a hug goodbye the hero trio left, walking shoulder to shoulder, and a few minutes later the Kenbo kids were divided back up before Old Lady Benio marched her charges away.

Despite her best efforts there was a point Kiyo's toddler legs could go no further and she had to sit in her stroller while Benio pushed her along, looking annoyed. Then, to Kiyo's dismay, none of the other kids wanted to watch the beauty pageant so she missed out on watching her mother shine on stage. She didn't need to watch to know her mother was going to win of course, but it would've been nice to watch all the same.

Her displeasure must've shown on her face because not too long after this Riku requested the group stop at a ring toss, against Old Lady Benio's complaining that games like those were rigged and he'd never win anything. After many tries (and a fair amount of pity from the student running the booth) Riku was eventually able to get his hands on a little All Might plush toy which he quickly handed to Kiyo despite her protests that Riku had earned it. All Might still wasn't her favorite hero on principle, but Kiyo wasn't going to begrudge a free toy, especially one so hard fought.

After witnessing an expo put on by the support course that everyone loved for its audience participation, Kiyo was just beginning to feel like she'd kill for a nap when Old Lady Benio decided they could all benefit from a stroll through a traditional Japanese style garden some General Studies students had constructed. Apparently they were all getting too rowdy for her liking and the old woman thought that the serene atmosphere of the gardens might rub off on them somehow.

The garden, like everything else at the festival, was impressive in both its size and beauty. Crammed into a far off corner of the U.A campus, the people in charge had somehow managed to make it so you felt as though you were out for a walk in a picturesque mountainside and not in the middle of the big city, in the middle of a busy event. It looked exactly like the kind of garden you'd find alongside temples that tourists would pay to go see.

According to the students stationed at the entrance, the garden was designed after the Shinden Garden style common in the late Heian Period. Kiyo didn't know what any of that meant, but she didn't need to be a history buff to appreciate how pretty it all was.

The garden featured a multitude of maple and ginkgo trees that provided ample shade and whose leaves had been tinted the colors of autumn. There was also a lot of wide open undisturbed space save a few benches here and there for people to sit on and arched bridges to step over the streams that dotted the area. There was a number of other plants the toddler didn't recognize, along with pleasant looking moss-covered stone figures

Kiyo had to admit, the old lady had made an excellent choice. As they walked in kids were oooing and aahing, smiling like they'd just walked into some sort of paradise. In fact, aside from their own group, the garden appeared mostly empty so it really was like some sort of personal paradise.

In an instant children started to fan out on their own to explore the area, some laying down in the grass, others taking a minute to admire the vast amount of flowers that surrounded them, and others apparently starting up an impromptu game of tag.

Old Lady Benio, still pushing Kiyo along in her stroller, walked over to a bench and sat on it with a great sigh. Kiyo, feeling sleepier by the second, thought this would be a most excellent place to have a nap. She was just about to drift off into a deep sleep when a shrill shouting startled Kiyo awake.

Confused and a little scared, the blue-haired girl looked around wildly for what'd made the horrible noise. She didn't have to look for very long. Apparently a few boys had taken to throwing rocks at each other for a game. One had been hit hard in the face and was bleeding profusely from a cut on his forehead, sobbing. Old Lady Benio was currently ripping the boys a new one, yelling about how they were going to get it when they got home and about how this behavior was beyond inappropriate in public.

Though Kiyo was happy to find out no one was being eaten by a wild animal, she was now in an exceptionally bad mood. It was only her vow to be on her best behavior for her mother's sake that kept Kiyo from falling into a fit of frustrated sobs as other children her age would've done at having their sleep schedule so rudely disrupted. With a huff, Kiyo hopped out of her stroller and marched away in search of some place quieter, her new All Might toy clutched tight to her chest. Old Lady Benio, still busy scolding the other children, was none the wiser.

Walking away from the adult in charge of looking after her might sound like it'd fly in the face of 'being on her best behavior' but Kiyo had no intention of getting lost or leaving the group entirely, she just wanted to find a place in the garden that was a little less crowded. So she slipped past where most of the others were clustered, and in the direction of a large lake in the center of the garden where a very shady and comfortable looking tree lay.

"Kiyo?" went a concerned voice. "Where are you going?"

Riku had come running over to her, leaving his game of tag behind. "You know you can't go off by yourself. You're too little." He tried to grab hold of her hand but Kiyo squirmed away.

"No no!" She said stubbornly. "Nii-chan stay. I go." She finished, pointing in the direction she'd been heading.

"I'll come with you then." Riku replied responsibly, moving to walk with her.

"Nii-chan _stay_. I go." Kiyo insisted. It didn't seem fair for him to stop having fun just to keep an eye on her.

Riku shook his head and repeated sternly that he'd be coming with her. Kiyo, not knowing what else to do, allowed herself to be led off by the hand. She didn't have the energy to argue.

"Do you like your All Might?" Riku asked as they went along, nodding to the toy she held onto so tightly.

"Yeah." Kiyo replied, rubbing her eyes. "Nii-chan got it for me." She explained, hoping to convey how much she appreciated his efforts earlier.

Riku smiled brightly at her and Kiyo couldn't help but smile back despite her grumpy feelings. Except for the sound of leaves and grass crunching beneath their feet the pair walked in silence and once they finally made it to the lake's edge Kiyo was eager to catch some z's under the nearby tree. But fate appeared to have other plans.

"I can see why you wanted to come over here Kiyo. It sure is pretty."

The garden's lake was most perhaps its most impressive feature. The enormous pond was filled with pink and white lotus flowers even though they were out of season and dozens and dozens of koi fish. The pond's edge was lined with white sand and perfectly round stones. A large dark red arched bridge went directly down the pond's middle so people could cross from one side to the other with ease. Only at U.A would something so extravagant be built for a school festival and only at U.A would there be students talented enough to build such a thing.

"Come on!" Riku said excitedly. "Let's go see the fish."

On the inside Kiyo felt like yelling at whatever god had decided she would be missing out on her nap today, but she didn't protest as Riku walked them over to the bridge. He'd been so nice to her all day she figured doing what he wanted for once was the least she could do.

From their vantage point on the bridge the koi fish were easy to see as they swam around. Kiyo had to admit that this was indeed fun. She'd always liked animals and koi fish, with their many colors, were one of the animals she liked especially. Riku had pulled out a piece of his lunch that he'd saved in his pocket and started throwing bits of it in to feed the fish, smiling contentedly as he did so. Watching the fish swim had a hypnotic effect, but the spell was broken by the sudden addition of a snarky voice.

Kiyo was so startled Riku had to steady her to keep from falling over the side of the bridge. The owner of the snarky voice made their way over to them flanked by two others, all three looked about ten years of age. All apparently were looking for trouble.

"Well look who it is." snarked the one in the middle.

Riku winced but he didn't say anything. Instead he pushed Kiyo behind him in an effort to shield her.

"I thought that was you. I'd recognize your ugly face anywhere." Continued the bully as the two at their side laughed heartily.

Still, Riku was silent. Kiyo didn't recognize any of these intruders but it was plain by the look on his face that Riku knew them all too well.

"What's the matter, forgot how to talk? I didn't think you were _that _stupid."

There was more laughter and Riku started to go a bright red. Kiyo was filled with a sudden righteous urge to start kicking some shins. She would've too, if Riku hadn't grabbed her and shoved her back behind him.

"Is that your friend?" Teased the one on the left. "I know you don't have any but that's just embarrassing. What till everyone at school hears you're friends with a baby!"

"Go-go away." Riku said shakily. His tormentors merely laughed in response and stepped even closer.

"What're you gonna do, make us?" Challenged the one on the right. "We heard what the principal said you know. One more incident with you and your gonna get expelled! You so much as touch us and your gonna get thrown out"

Riku looked away and Kiyo knew this was true.

"Not like you woulda done anything anyway. Would ya, loser!" Said the one in the middle.

There was another wave of cruel laughter and Riku began looking like he wished the ground would swallow him up.

It was the last straw for Kiyo. In a flash she marched over and delivered a swift kick to the one in the middle with all her might. There was a shrill yelp of pain before she was met with a positively murderous glare. Kiyo didn't flinch.

"You little—!"

"Don't touch her!" Riku was back in front of her again, looking angry. He'd gotten hold of the bully's arm before they could smack the stuffing out of Kiyo as they'd intended. The bullies for their part, looked dumbstruck. Riku had apparently never done anything like this before.

There was a moment where the bully seemed to be figuring out what to do. "Fine." They said, wrenching their arm away. "Whatever." Judging by the scowl on their face, the ten year old was in no way 'fine' with this. But some of their smugness was gone. Riku's sudden burst of confidence had plainly startled them.

"Good." The skinny boy said, sounding dazed but standing up straighter. "Go."

The three turned to leave and Kiyo breathed a sigh of relief. She spoke too soon though because not a moment later one of them had spun around, ripped the little All Might out Kiyo's arms and run back to the ponds edge, followed quickly by the other two.

"Hey!" Riku cried out to them in outrage. "Give that back!"

"Come and get it then if you're so brave!" They shot back. The trio started throwing the plush between them, clearly enjoying putting Riku back in his place.

Kiyo tried to hold it in, she really did, but her body was betraying her. Though she did her best to reign in herself, she couldn't stop the tears that started to well up in her eyes. She was tired and sleepy, she missed her mom. All she'd wanted to do was take a nap but even that was impossible. Now her toy had been stolen out from under her after being so callously accosted. It was all becoming too much for the 19 month old's emotional threshold.

Kiyo sniffled and Riku looked horrified. "Don't cry," the boy said quickly. "I'll get it back for you, I promise! I'll be right back, just wait here." Riku took off after the thieves, who promptly ran away snickering.

And just like that Kiyo was alone. She wiped her eyes furiously. She felt terrible now but she wasn't sure what to do. Her instincts were telling her to let it all out but that was the last thing Kiyo wanted to do. Her mother would never allow herself another day off like this if she came back to her a sobbing mess.

The toddler sat down in an effort to get a hold of herself, her legs hanging off the bridge's side, and breathed deeply.

The breath came out terribly shaky and full of emotion and Kiyo had to wipe her eyes again. Looking for a distraction from her tumultuous feelings she focused on watching the koi below her as they swam here and there. Just as before Kiyo found the activity soothing and she felt a little better after a minute or two. The pond really was a lovely spot, it was a shame those three had to go and ruin it.

Several of the koi were sticking their head out of the water, probably looking for food. Most people didn't realize just how many colors koi could come in but for all Kiyo could see there was practically a rainbow of the fish. There was the common orange and white, white and red, white, red and black, pure black...Kiyo hunched forward and craned her neck for a closer look. She was sure she saw a pure golden colored one. She leaned forward just the tiniest bit more and—

Before she had time to register what was happening Kiyo had fallen forward and into the water below with a splash. The sudden immersion in the cold water caused her to open her mouth in shock. She was letting water in—! She was thrashing wildly, trying to claw her way back up to air, searching frantically for something to cling to for dear life, but she couldn't.

The pond was too deep. She was too small.

She couldn't get to the air. There was only water. She tried to keep her mouth closed but the more she struggled the stronger the urge to _**breathe**_ became. _More_ water made its way into her lungs and her insides burned.

She was drowning.

She..she was drowning and there was nothing she could do about it

She was _**drowning—!**_

She needed help

She needed _air._

She was drowning...She was _dying—_she was fine…?

A relief that could've only come from the sudden introduction of glorious air rolled over her body like a wave and Kiyo opened her eyes. But it wasn't the sun or the face of her rescuer that greeted her. Instead, she was met with the glassy-eyed visage of a koi fish. With a start, the toddler realized she was still under the water, still at the bottom of that massive pond...and yet she could now breathe just fine...how on earth..?

Beyond dazed and confused and scared out of her wits, Kiyo noticed a feeling she hadn't had before. An odd feeling around her neck, like there was something there that shouldn't be. She moved her hand to feel and—

Kiyo gave a yelp of abject horror and she was suddenly shot up and out of the water as though the pond itself had spat her back out. She landed with a thud on the ground, her back knocking painfully against the stoney surface. This time it was the sun that met Kiyo's eyes and this time she cried, unabashed.

She coughed and sputtered. Her whole body ached and it hurt when she breathed. Everything hurt actually, her head, her back. Every muscle burned from her mad efforts to get back to the surface. She breathed in again, and again she was thrown into a fit of violent wet coughing. Kiyo was stunned by how painful it was, she'd been injured before but never like this. She got the feeling but she was bleeding from somewhere but she couldn't tell where. Every part of her was soaked to the bone and cold.

Kiyo had almost died. She was in more pain and more scared than she'd ever been in her short life. She wanted—_needed—_ someone to come and make it better; to hold her and tell her everything was alright.

She wanted her mom and she wanted her right now.

A lot happened at once after that.

Help had come quickly in the form of several thundering feet and raised voices. They'd all apparently come running at the sound of Kiyo's gut-wrenching cries. Someone picked her up off the ground and there was more worried yelling. Kiyo couldn't tell what was being said, there was too much happening, too many people talking over each other. One thing she could make out was an urgent, "get help!"

Kiyo wasn't sure if she passed out or fell asleep because the next thing she knew she was inside somewhere with a lot of fluorescent lights. She was pressed up against something warm and soft. It made her feel safe. Kiyo could feel someone running their fingers through her hair. Though she was dead tired, the blue-haired girl turned her head up to see who it was.

"Mama." Kiyo breathed rapturously."Mama!" She should've known it was her mother who was holding her close. No one could make her feel so safe. But Kiyo's mood turned quickly once she properly took in her mother's face.

In a word, Nemuri looked terrible. Her glasses were gone. Her eyes were red and puffy, her face was tear stained. Her grip tightened around Kiyo. "Shh," the young mother cooed, voice cracking. "Shh."

Kiyo squirmed in her mother's arms. She wanted to tell her that she was okay, that she was sorry for ruining everything. That she was sorry for making her cry. But her body felt weak and heavy. Her throat was sore and she could only cough feebly instead of apologize. Kiyo could see rows of identical, pristine white beds. She realized that they must be in the nurse's office at U.A, if not an actual hospital.

And that made perfect sense because Kiyo had almost drowned

Kiyo had almost _**died **_but then—

"I'm sorry." Croaked the seventeen year old, fresh tears streaming down her face. "I'm sorry, Mama's _so_ sorry." she sobbed.

'_No!' _Kiyo thought furiously. '_It's not your fault!' _

Once more she tried to explain, tried to fix everything, but all she could get out was a chorus of raspy coughs followed by a miserable wimper. More tears streamed down her mother's face and Kiyo's heart sank further.

"I'm sorry," Nemuri repeated miserably. "I'm so sorry."

A sweet scent filled the air and Kiyo recognized it at once as her mom's quirk. Her mother was putting her to sleep, trying to get her to rest. Kiyo tried to fight it but the sweet siren call of sleep was too great; her body was too tired.

'_I'm sorry._' Kiyo thought just before consciousness left her. '_I ruined everything. It's my fault, not yours. I'm sorry…please don't cry…' _


End file.
